Feed Mixer Expert Working On First-Of-Its-Kind Machine

Feed Mixer Expert Working On First-Of-Its-Kind Machine LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment Tim Diller runs an equipment repair business that specializes in grinder mixers TMR mixers and feed processors He can repair all makes of machines and often has to make parts that aren’t available or are difficult to find “I know how to make them work the way they’re supposed to ” he says A few years ago he started working on a prototype mixer that would accept a large round bale and mix it with other feed products Diller says he has since revised that machine because it doesn’t work as well as he’d like it to on tough straight hay that’s common in his part of Kentucky “I know there’s a market with smaller beef and dairy farmers who want to process hay silage and dry grains with one machine ” says Diller “I’ve made a second prototype and am still working on modifications so it does a better job of cutting and mixing the bales ” Diller made his machine by modifying the top auger on a TMR mixer to slice and tear apart a large round or large square bale As the hay is loosened from the bale it mixes with silage or grain that is dumped into the mixer He made a large door in the side of the tub so part of a bale can be removed if a whole bale doesn’t need to be ground at one time Diller says his machine has a knife on the side of the tub so it has shearing action knife-against-knife “I don’t have that perfected yet for a straight hay mix so I’ve got work to do on that It works fine on a 30 percent hay and 70 percent silage mixture ” Another feature on his machine is to have the auger pull feed in from the tub wall in a different manner “I’ve put that plate in a different place on a separate wing where it’s 90 degrees in front of the auger flighting It doesn’t take as much horsepower and it mixes better ” Diller says “I’m trying to get it where it will pull the feed in gradually and that’s something that needs some work ” Diller says the other components on his machine are similar to regular mixers and he thinks his machine can be made and sold for about $10 000 less than other mixers on the market “My machine is for the smaller producer farmers who can’t justify expensive models that large operations use ” Diller says Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Timothy Diller 1483 Old Summersville Road Campbellsville Ky 42718 ph 270 427-7081; dillerfarmworks@gmail com

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